Govt launches probe into deaths of street children after burial of nine

Burial of street children at Lang'ata Cemetery in Nairobi, on January 29, 2026. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]

The government has launched investigations into the deaths of nine people believed to be part of the families residing on the streets in Nairobi.

According to the Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, and Children Services, Hannah Cheptumo, the identities of the deceased, the history of their sickness and hospitalization, and the cause of their death remain unconfirmed due to a lack of autopsy reports or verified medical data.

A mass burial for the street children on Thursday, January 29, held at the Lang’ata cemetery, triggered public concern over the safety of the street populations, even as the government maintains that most of the bodies had been detained by morgues since last year.

“Preliminary information received indicates that nine (9) bodies were released from City Mortuary and Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital Mortuary and buried on 29th January, 2026. The deceased persons are reported to have been male adults, except one infant,” said CS Cheptumo, in a statement.

“These bodies had reportedly been held in mortuaries for several months in 2025, and the burials were facilitated by well-wishers and community-based organisations. The Ministry was not informed of these developments before the burials.”

Earlier, Undugu Society of Kenya, an organisation that works with street-connected families, reported that 15 youth and children had lost their lives within the last one month while decrying government neglect.

“We express grave concern over the unexplained deaths of at least 15 street-connected youth and children in the past month and the complete absence of accountability from government agencies,” said Eric Mukoya, the society’s Executive Director.

Further, rights groups demanded a probe into the cause of the high number of deaths involving members of the street families, adding that the findings of such an exercise should be made public.

CS Cheputumo said that state agencies, the Health Ministry, and the County Government of Nairobi are already examining records to unmask the deceased persons and establish whether they were indeed street families.

The vulnerable group continues to face hardships, including harassment, poor living conditions, and exclusion from some public services.

Government data shows that some 18, 049 Kenyans live on the streets, a reduction from 46, 936 in 2018.